Thaddeus Bowman
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Thaddeus Bowman was the last scout sent out by Capt. John Parker at
Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...
, but the only one to find the approaching British troops and get back to warn the
militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
on the first day of the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
(" the shot heard 'round the world").


Background

In early 1775, the British commander in America, Lieutenant-General
Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of th ...
, knew first-hand the level of colonial dissatisfaction with British policies on the rights of the colonists. He feared this could lead to serious violence, and he was under pressure from England to do something to show the power of the Crown. He also knew, through informants, that the patriots had stored a large quantity of gunpowder, cannon and other military supplies in Concord. By sending an expeditionary force out from Boston to seize these supplies, he intended to show the might of the British Empire and hoped to prevent any future hostilities with the colonists. Patriot leaders, such as
John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...
,
Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, an ...
,
Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...
, Dr. Joseph Warren, James Otis, Jr.,
Benjamin Edes Benjamin Edes (October 15, 1732 – December 11, 1803) was an early American printer, publisher, newspaper journalist and a revolutionary advocate before and during the American Revolution. He is best known, along with John Gill, as the publishe ...
and John Gill, were not only mobilizing public opinion against restrictive British policies, but also kept close tabs on the activities of the British troops in Boston. Edes and Gill were the publishers of the
Boston Gazette The ''Boston Gazette'' (1719–1798) was a newspaper published in Boston, in the British North American colonies. It was a weekly newspaper established by William Brooker, who was just appointed Postmaster of Boston, with its first issue release ...
, a newspaper which printed the multitude of articles written by Samuel Adams, laying out the patriot cause. Their print shop was a favorite meeting place for the leaders of the movement. On the night of April 18, 1775, the expeditionary force of over 700 soldiers left Boston. Paul Revere rode to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were staying in Lexington (which is on the way to Concord), to leave so they would not be arrested by the British force. Revere had previously arranged the famous lantern signal from the
Old North Church Old North Church (officially, Christ Church in the City of Boston), at 193 Salem Street, in the North End, Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent. This phrase is related ...
to patriots on the other side of the Charles River, so they could spread the word, in case Revere was prevented from leaving Boston. Revere made it to Lexington at midnight, where he alarmed the town, Adams and Hancock, as well as set in motion a network of alarm riders that fanned out across the colony. John Parker, the captain of the Lexington Militia, mustered his men on Lexington Green and held an impromptu town meeting in the open air. Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Jonas Clarke, the town minister, were there.


"The Shot Heard 'Round the World" and Bowman's Role

As any good commander does, Parker wanted as much information as possible on the situation he was about to face. So, he sent out scouts, one of whom was Thaddeus Bowman. One scout made it as far as Cambridge and back, and reported seeing no sign of British Regulars. There had been false alarms before, and Parker also knew that the supplies at Concord had been dispersed to other towns and/or hidden. Previous British expeditions to other towns had resulted in no bloodshed and no discovery of any colonial arms - just a tiring exercise for the king's troops. If the troops were actually coming, it was likely that they would march through town, reach Concord, find nothing, and return to Boston empty-handed. Parker dismissed his men, but instructed them to stay within the sound of a drum. At about 4:15 a.m., Thaddeus Bowman came riding up at a full gallop. He had found the Regulars, but had been trapped on the road behind them, and unable to get back to warn the town earlier. He reported to Capt. Parker that they were already past "the Rocks," a landmark which meant that they were less than half an hour away. Capt. Parker instantly mustered his company, ordering his drummer, William Diamond, to beat "To Arms," a long roll. The town bell was sounded and alarm guns were fired. At Lexington Green, the road to Bedford meets the road from Boston to Concord. Parker formed up his men in the open Common between these two roads, in parade ground formation. They were not hiding behind stone walls. His purpose was to show colonial determination, but not to block either road, and not to provoke a fight. His orders to his men were, "Let the troops pass by. Don't molest them, without they being first." Unfortunately, the lead companies of the British force went right at the fork in the road (toward Bedford instead of Concord), and the key officers in charge were further back in the column. Major John Pitcairn, seeing the mistake, rode quickly forward, but too late to alter the course of the rapidly unfolding events. The lead companies saw the militia and formed up into a line of battle. A shot was fired - no one knows by whom. Both sides denied shooting first, and that could well be true. There were many spectators milling around, some of whom had spent the evening in
Buckman Tavern Buckman Tavern is a historic American Revolutionary War site associated with the revolution's very first battle, the 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord. It is located on the Battle Green in Lexington, Massachusetts and operated as a museum by ...
, which is across the street from the Green. The first shot could have come from one of them. Regardless, the Regulars reacted to it and started firing, then charged the militia and bayoneted anyone left on the field. Seven Lexington men were killed, and nine wounded. That's 25% casualties in ten minutes. Hearing the skirmish, British Lt. Col. Francis Smith rode up and knew what to do. He found a drummer and ordered him to beat "Cease Fire." He reformed his troops and marched them off to Concord. Capt. Parker got his revenge though. He performed what Gen. John Galvin has called a "miracle of leadership, regrouping and reanimating his company after the Regulars overran it in the dawn attack... Somehow he was able to transform the scattered and demoralized soldiers into a fighting unit again, determined to avenge the loss of their comrades by meeting the British on their return from Concord." Meet them they did. The Lexington militia company set up an effective ambush from good cover at a bend in the road at the Lexington town line. They took a heavy toll on the Regulars, including hitting the commanding officer. Lt. Col. Smith took a musket ball in the thigh which also unhorsed him. By now, angry militia companies from all over Massachusetts, and even adjoining colonies, were converging on the area. The British column began taking fire from all sides. If Lt. Gen. Gage had not sent out another thousand troops as re-enforcements, along with two cannon, the initial 700 would have never made it back to Boston.MacKenzie, Lt. Frederick, Diary, published as ''A British Fusilier in Revolutionary Boston,'' pp. 20-26, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1926.


Gallery

Image:Battle Green, Lexington (Dudesleeper).jpg, Lexington Green in modern times Image:Monument inscription - Lexington, MA.JPG, Inscription on the Revolutionary monument Image:Lexington Minute Man relief (Basha Paeff) - Lexington, MA.JPG, Lexington Minutemen relief by Bashka Paeff Image:Minute Man Statue Lexington Massachusetts.jpg, The Minuteman Statue at Lexington. It is also referred to as a statue of Capt. John Parker, although no contemporary image of him exists. However, a physical description of him by his grandson,
Theodore Parker Theodore Parker (August 24, 1810 – May 10, 1860) was an American transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church. A reformer and abolitionist, his words and popular quotations would later inspire speeches by Abraham Lincol ...
, does exist, and the statue generally fits that description.


Personal information

Born: September 2, 1712 Married: Sarah Fisk Loring, December 2, 1736 Age on April 19, 1775: 62 years old Died: May 26, 1806 Buried: Congregational Church, New Braintree, Massachusetts


References


External links


Minute Man National Historic Park Web site

Lexington Historical Society Web site


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Thaddeus Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution People of colonial Massachusetts 1743 births 1806 deaths